What's Happening

Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2004

Best Bets

The Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center's upcoming summer interpretive programs include a book signing with Alan Poyner, author of "Of Moose and Men," at 3 p.m. Friday; a presentation about invasive plants on the Kenai Peninsula with Janice Chumley at 3 p.m. Monday; songs from "Alaska's Official Balladeer" Hobo Jim at 3 p.m. Wednesday; and a take-along quilting presentation by Gwen Woodard at 3 p.m. June 18.

Several presentations will be given as part of the "Integrating the Arts with Integrity" Summer Arts Institute at KPC this week. All presentations will last about an hour, will be in the Brockel Building at KPC, and are free and open to everyone. Judith Conk, a Galef Institute educator who focuses on interdisciplinary teaching strategies, will speak at 2 p.m. today. Liang-Ping How, violinist with the Riverrun Chamber Quintet, will perform accompanied by Homer pianist JulieAnn Smith at 10 a.m. today.

Events and Exhibits

The Ninilchik Senior Citizens Center hosts square dancing at 7 p.m. every Thursday. The event is casual dress and there will be a caller and instructor.

"Wild Alaska: Bounty of the Sea," including artwork by 75 Alaska artists, is on display at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center. Admission is $3 for adults and free for students. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Gary L. Freeburg Art Gallery at Kenai Peninsula College will have a multimedia portraits show on display to June 18.

Kaladi Brothers in Soldotna has Charity Green as its artist of the month. It also hosts a chess club every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and a cribbage club every Sunday at noon.

Mykel's Restaurant has Chris Wakefield as its artist of the month.

Artwork by Kenai Peninsula artists can be viewed and purchased at the following area businesses: Art Works, Birch Tree Gallery, Claudette's Folk Art and Collectibles, Donna's Country and Victorian Gifts, Frames and Things, Malfunction Junction Gifts, Northcountry Fair and Tammy's Flowers and Gifts in Soldotna; Alaskan Gift and Gallery, Fireweed Herb Garden and Gifts, Kenai Fine Arts Center and Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center in Kenai; and Peninsula Furs Inc. in Sterling.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Information Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is on Ski Hill Road near the intersection of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road in Soldotna. For more information, call 262-7021.

Mykel's Restaurant in Soldotna presents music by Dave Unruh from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Vagabond Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road presents music by Tuff-e-Nuff at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Kaladi Brothers in Soldotna has music by Nancy Anderson from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The Clam Shell Lodge in Clam Gulch presents music by the Mic Hoggers on Saturday.

Hooligans in Soldotna presents the Alaska Dinner Show starring Hobo Jim and the Klondike Girls. Show times are Mondays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. The price, which includes dinner and the show but not gratuity, is $42 for general admission, $39 for seniors 62 and over, $35 for children under 12 and free for children under 2 and seniors over 80. For reservations, call 262-9951.

The Rainbow Bar in Kenai presents music by The Mabrey Brothers at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The VFW post in Soldotna has karaoke at 8 p.m. Fridays and bluegrass jam sessions at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

The Riverside House in Soldotna presents "After 10," a dance party, Friday and Saturday nights. A DJ plays favorite Top 40 dance music until 5 a.m.

The AMVETS Post No. 4 in the Red Diamond Center on Kalifornsky Beach Road has karaoke at 8 p.m. Saturdays.

The Maverick Saloon in Soldotna has karaoke at 9 p.m. Mondays.

Upcoming Events

The 10th Quilting on the Kenai will take place June 17, 18 and 19.

The third annual KDLL Art and Music Festival will be from noon to midnight June 19 at the Diamond M Ranch on Kalifornsky Beach Road. Performers will include Alaska singers and songwriters Hobo Jim, Andy Baker, Mike Faubion, Josh Fryfogle and Katie Skrha. Vendor booths, food and drinks, a beer garden and arts and crafts also will be available.

The Soldotna Senior Citizens Center will have a "Taste of Hawaii" luau from 5 to 8 p.m. June 19. Entertainment, door prizes and raffle tickets for bear viewing with Natron Air will be available. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children under 12 and should be purchased in advance.

World Music for the Kenai presents Australian singer-guitarist and didgeridoo performer Xavier Rudd on June 23 at Morgan's Moose Pasture in Kasilof. Opening for Rudd will be New Orleans ragtime, blues and jazz singer-pianist Radoslav Lorkovic, along with local singer-songwriters Katie Skrha and Holly Wiley. The show begins at 5 p.m. with Lorkovic at 7 p.m. and Rudd at 8:30 p.m. The concert site is near Mile 106.5 of the Sterling Highway. Look for signs on the highway on the day of the show. Tickets are available only at the door on the day of the show and are $23 for general admission, $20 for seniors, students and KDLL members, $15 for teens accompanied by a parent and free for children 12 and under. Family discounts will be available. For more information on the concert, contact Mike Morgan at 262-6548 or mjmorgan@gci.net. For more information on Rudd, visit www.xavierrudd.com. For more information on Lorkovic, visit www.rados lavlorkovic.com. Concert-goers can bring blankets, chairs, pillows, coolers, food, beverages and appropriate attire for the weather. Barbecue grills will be available for use.

Films

Call Orca at 262-7003 for weekly listings and show times.

Call Kambe Cinemas at 283-4554 for weekly listings and show times.

Down the Road

Pier One Theatre in Homer has performances of "Aria da Capo" and "Little Eva's Immaculate Conception." "Aria da Capo," written by Edna St. Vincent Millay and directed by Maynard Smith, is a dramatic work by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. It is about a comic harlequinade that is interrupted with a tragedy enacted by innocent shepherds. The dialogue and violent content are suitable for all beyond preschool age. "Little Eva's Immaculate Conception," written by Anne Hanley and directed by Lance Petersen, is about little Eva, who has two daddies who love and spoil her. As she grows up, they give her the best of everything, for little Eva is destined to become a star. At the peak of things, a few other people (the sperm donor, the egg donor, the surrogate mother) join the party, convinced that it is each of their unique contributions which has made little Eva's success possible. Performance dates are Thursdays through Sundays, this weekend and next, at Pier One Theatre on the Homer Spit. Tickets are $13 for general admission and discounts are available for children, families and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at The Bookstore in Homer and at the door. Reservations and information can be obtained by calling Pier One at (907) 235-7333.

The Pratt Museum in Homer presents an opening celebration for a "Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place" exhibit at 7 p.m. Saturday. Also on display is the "Juried Art Show 2004" through Sunday, a "SeeBirdCam" broadcasting live video of nesting shorebirds from Gull Island and "Bears, Beetles and Darkened Waters," a stewardship exhibit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Fish feedings are at 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

Historic Harbor Walking Tours on the Homer Spit will be offered from 3 to 4:30 p.m. during the summer. Tickets are $5 and tours start at the Pratt Museum's wheelhouse booth next to the Salty Dawg on the spit.

Anchorage Events

The Anchorage Museum of History and Art has a display of contemporary Alaska Native art through Sept. 5, and "Points of View V" where a guest curator chooses work from the collections department to be displayed in the galleries on display through Sept. 25.

If you have an event to include in our Thursday InSide section, send the information to the Peninsula Clarion, Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611, fax it to 283-3299 or send it by e-mail to clarion@alaska.net.

The deadline for information is Monday at 5 p.m. For more information, call Jenny Neyman at 283-7551.